Town, County meeting with AHS to discuss health care concerns

The Town of Whitecourt and Woodlands County continue to push for action when it comes to health care provisions in the community.

The two municipalities submitted a joint letter to the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Board in December 2017, where the mayors called for a meeting with the board to discuss the great need for modernization to address acute care and infrastructure issues at the Whitecourt Healthcare Centre.

Whitecourt Mayor Maryann Chichak and Woodlands Mayor Jim Rennie were hopeful for a meeting with the AHS Board, but they were directed to meet further with AHS North Zone representatives.

They will meet on Feb. 6 to discuss concerns regarding health care provisions.

Dr. Kevin Worry, AHS North Zone Medical Director, said the meeting will be an open conversation about overall health care in Whitecourt — including services and infrastructure issues.

“One of the things we’ve talked about is the steps we’re taking to stabilize our obstetrics program,” he said, noting this includes a consistent epidural service. “A key part of the conversation from our perspective is really listening to our mayors and saying what are they hearing from their constituents and how do we approach this together?”

Chichak wants to see a few “quick wins” as a result of the meeting — some solutions that could be implemented in a timely manner.

In their letter to the AHS Board, the municipalities highlighted concerns and needs such as lack of space for additional staff — including visiting specialists — and a lack of additional storage space. The more than 50-year-old facility does not have a loading dock, and the lab does not meet Accreditation Canada standards due to several sanctions, the municipalities wrote.

Chichak hopes the community’s concerns will be heard.

“I think it’s prudent and wise from our region (Woodlands and Whitecourt) to sit down again with Alberta Health Services members from the North Zone and take a look at how rural health care issues are being addressed,” Chichak stated.

Rennie said it’s very frustrating because councils have been told in the past that their concerns are being heard and a plan is being formulated to improve the situation.

“While we have had some minor successes — like the establishment of a permanent dialysis unit — all the other assets that we’ve been pushing for always come back that they need more time to look at it and come up with a new model and way to deliver it,” he explained. “I feel quite often that we’ve been stalled. Show us some real steps of moving forward.”

A new facility for Whitecourt has not made the AHS Board’s shortlist for provincial capital funding requests. Worry said AHS was asked by the Ministry of Health to provide a list of projects for this year that focused in three areas — utilizing existing space, promoting transition of care into a community setting, and projects that are deemed critically urgent by AHS.

“Out of that, we were also asked to provide a more succinct list than what had been provided before, so there was actually nine projects that were listed consistent with the government’s request,” Worry explained.

In receiving feedback from the Town and County on services needs, such as that of local physician and visiting specialists, AHS would then look at what infrastructure is needed to support that, Worry said.

“If there’s changes or modifications that need to be made, there’s a way of doing it through IMP funding,” he stated.

Worry added AHS has currently spent about $340,000 on replacing infrastructure at Whitecourt’s facility through IMP funding. This includes replacing hot water tanks, new flooring, parking lot retrofits and other repairs.

Earlier this month, it was reported Alberta Health has scrapped its plans to create a rural Alberta health model. The project intended to develop a template for constructing rural hospitals using the same basic, scalable design has been scrapped, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman told Postmedia. Instead, it will focus on assisting rural towns plan for their health necessities as opposed to architectural drawings.

Rennie emphasized the municipalities will continue to push for a new hospital.

“We know that at some point, the political will and the economy will hit the right point in time where we will have success,” he said. “We won’t let this go until the time that we are successful in getting what our community needs.”

In the meantime, the councils are pushing for every greater service they can so residents don’t have to travel for health care, the Woodland County mayor said.